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I like double rifles with hammers. They are safer to carry loaded with the hammers un-cocked than a hammerless double loaded with a safety on. Of course some modern doubles have an un-cocking "safety".

I started shooting with a 12 gauge and .410 gauge side by side shotguns with hammers. They are necessarily slow at all. Assuming the rifle or shotgun can be shot with both hammers cocked. They do take a small amount of time longer to cock and get into action.

Assuming I decide my Westley Richards hammer 10-bore is powerful enough I would use it on elephant and will certainly try it out on buffalo.

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Like you I started my shotgunning as a youngster with hammers guns, firstly a nice 28 gauge Belgium made side by side hammer with Damascus barrels and then graduating up to an old off the face, borer riddled stock 12 gauge hammer gun also with Damascus barrels. The real danger with the little 28 gauge was once the gun was closed and hammers cocked, you could not swing the top lever across enough to open the gun if you did not shoot, had to lower the RH hammer to open the gun. Heavy springs and wet and freezing hands for 10 year old when duck shooting made for some careful action. No thought about the Damascus barrels and smokeless powder.

So too do I like hammer guns with their safe carry uncocked.

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